Animated ash tray



June 22, 1954 A. STARKENBERG 2,681,656

' ANIMATED ASH TRAY Filed Feb. 18, 1953 INVENTOR.

flrrcoidlffarmslzbery Patented June 22, 1954 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE ANIMATED ASH TRAY Arnold Starkenberg, Brooklyn, N. Y.

Application February 18, 1953, Serial No. 337,569 4 Claims. (or. 131-236) The present invention relates to improvements in animated ash trays and particularly to improved constructions and mechanisms for ash trays for the purpose of creating novel effects and increasing the safety of use of ash trays.

As is well known, one of the difficulties in the use of conventional ash trays having rimmed bowls on which cigarettes may be mounted is that, as a cigarette continues to burn after being placed on the ash tray, its center of gravity changes and it may topple off the ash tray outside the bowl and thereby damage the table or desk supporting the ash tray and raise the hazard of possible fires.

According to the present invention these hazards and disadvantages are prevented and a novel effect is achieved by a mechanism which responds to the heat of the burning of the cigarette beyond a predetermined point to initiate an action for extinguishing the cigarette. In a preferred form this action consists in producing a fine jet or spray of water directed at the burning tip of the cigarette which thereby extinguishes it.

Other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from consideration of the following description of a preferred embodiment thereof taken in conjunction with the appended drawings, in which,

Figure 1 is an elevational view of the present invention partly in cross-section and showing a cigarette in place;

Figure 2 is a fragmentary plan view of the cigarette-supporting portion of the present invention;

Figure 3 is a bottom view showing the underside of the ash tray and the mechanism concealed in the base thereof; I

Figure 4 shows a fragmentary perspective view of the heat-responsive release mechanism of the present invention; and

Figure 5 is a fragmentary perspective view of one end of the operating lever of the present mechanism.

Referring to the drawing, the present invention comprises an ash tray or bowl H having annular rim l2 and a depressed central bowl or tray portion :3 of conventional form. At one position around the periphery of the rim i2 is a cigarette-receiving groove or trough [4, diametrically opposite to which is a cylindrical pedestal It. Secured to the rim 1'2 at the base of the trough I4 is a bi-metallic element ll having a flat portion I8 securedto the trough M in any suitable manner, as by rivets or by crimping or the like. The bi-metallic element 57 also has an inverted double U or bow portion 2! followed by an actuating portion 22. As shown in Figure 4, the actuating portion 22 is provided with partial right-angle flanges 2-4 to increase the rigidity thereof, and it passes through a slot 25 in trough M to the hollow underside of bowl I I.

The end 23 of the operating portion 22 of the lei-metallic element 51 is engaged in a notch 25 of a latch lever 2'! which is'pivotally mounted at 28 on the underside of the bowl I l. The latch lever 22 is formed with a latching notch 2:; which engages the end 31 of an operating lever 32 which is also pivotally mounted at 33 on the underside of the bowl H. The operating lever 32 is formed as a channel with a U cross-section providing flanges 3 3 for added stiffness, as indicated in Figure 5, and has an enlarged actuator it at the end opposite the end 3!. Operating lever 3'2 is normally urged in a counterclockwise sense as seen in Fig. 5 by a suitable spring 31. In the illustration shown this may be a scissors-type torsion spring 31 or it may be a suitable compression or tension spring to produce the same rotation or torsional bias.

Mounted on the pedestal it of the bowl 5! is a suitable figurine 38, which in the illustrative embodiment is an elephant having its trunk as directed at the cigarette ii lying in the trough Id. While the figurine 33 is illustrated as being in this instance in the form of an elephant, it will be obvious that any other object or figurine can be utilized suitable for appropriately produc-' ing a directed jet of fluid.

The figurine 38 is formed with an inner tube or bore 43 extending through the trunk 39 and connected to a resilient rubber or plastic bulb 44. i This bulb M is backed by an arcuate support 56 on the side opposite the actuator 35.

Assuming that the bulb M is filled with water and that the operating lever 32 has its latch end 3! engaging the notch 29 of the latch lever 2'3, the apparatus is now ready for use. Should a cigarette 4% be laid in the trough Id and burn back until its hot tip is adjacent to the double fold 2! of the bi-metallie element ll, this element ll will respond by moving the operating portion 22 of the bi-rnetallio element i? to the left as seen in Figures 1 and 3. This will pivot the lever 21 about pivot 28 and will release the operating lever 32 from the notch 29. The spring 31 will then rotate the lever 32 about the pivot 33 so that the actuator 36 at the end of lever 32 will compress the bulb 44 against the support 46. This applies pressure on the bulb 44 and produces a fine jet of water passing through tube 43 and trunk 39 and directed along the line 5| preferably aimed at the center of the trough HI. As the charge of water is expended, the stream will fall to the position 52 thereby traversing the burning end portion of the cigarette and extinguishing it before the cigarette has a chance to fall outwardly off the ash tray.

To reset the mechanism for a subsequent operation, the trunk 39 or other jet outlet is immersed in water and a reset button 53 on the outside of the tray bowl II is depressed. This button 53 is secured to the end of a push rod 54.

whose inner end 56 is suitably secured to the operating lever 32, preferably loosely or pivotally. For example, a reduced end of the push rod 54 may be inserted through an aperture in the lever 32 and the end peened over or enlarged in any suitable manner. If desirable, rod 54 and button 53 may be of plastic material convenient- 1y secured to the operating lever 32. The rod 54 passes through a suitable bore 5'! in the wall of the tray bowl ll. Upon depressing reset button 53, lever 32 is rotated until its end 3% is latched into notch 29. Thus actuator 38 is moved away from bulb 44, which resiliently expands and sucks a charge of water or other fluid into the tube Q2 and bulb M, ready for the next actuation.

It will be understood that the lei-metallic element i! may be secured to the bowl ii in the trough I l in any desired manner. For example, this may be doneby riveting, by pressed fit, or the right hand end of the element as seen in Fig. 1 may be bent downwardly through a slot in the upper surface of the rim i2 and may be bent over to retain the element in place. If desired, element i! maybe placed on the rim l2, and trough is may be omitted.

It will also be understood that the various operating elements may have difierent configurations than as shown; for example, the operating lever 32 need not be a channel-shaped member so long as suitable stifiness is obtained, but may be of any shape. The bulb actuator 36 is preferably formed integral with the operating lever 32, although this also is not an essential feature. It is preferably of extended dimension so as to compress a major portion of the bulb 44 in one stroke. Also, the fianges 24 on the bi-metallic element ll need not be used if sufiicient rigidity is otherwise available.

While a bulb 44 and tube 43 are shown in this instance as being an especially convenient and inexpensive construction, it will be understood that in place thereof other suitable arrangements can be used to produce a jet of water upon each operating stroke of lever 32, so that many operations may be effected with one filling. Mechanism of this sort is well known and need not be defined in detail here.

Accordingly, it will be seen that there has been provided a novel and improved animated ash tray apparatus, which offers not only improved safety by avoiding the possibility of lighted cigarettes falling to the outside of the ash tray upon burning back, but also provides novelty and amusement by virtue of the use of an automatically actuated water extinguishing jet. It will be understood that the above description is intended to be illustrative only, since many apparently widely varying details of construction can be used, all within the scope and spirit of the present invention, which is defined solely by the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. An animated ash tray comprising an ashreceiving bowl having a rim, a cigarette-receiving trough formed in said rim, a bi-metallic element positioned in said trough having a double bow and adapted upon juxtaposition of the lighted end of a cigarette to said double bow to be displaced thereby, a latch lever pivotally mounted on the underside of said bowl and operatively coupled to said bi-metallic element to be displaced thereby, an operating lever also pivotally mounted on the underside of said bowl and having one end normally latched to said latch lever and releasable therefrom upon movement of said latch lever, spring means normally urging said operating lever away from said latch lever, a receptacle for fire extinguishing fluid formed by a resilient bulb, and a figurine mounted on said bowl rim and having a fiuid-conducting tube therewithin coupled at one end to said bulb and with its other end directed toward saidtrough, said bulb being in the path of said operating lever, whereby upon actuation of said bi-metallic element by the heat of a lighted cigarette, consequent displacement of said element moves said latch lever to release said operating lever to compress said bulb to eject said fluid therefrom through said tube toward said trough to extinguish a lighted cigarette lying therein.

2. An animated ash tray comprising an ashreceiving bowl having a rim, a cigarette-receiving trough formed in said rim, a bi-metallic element having at least a portion positioned in said trough and adapted upon juxtaposition of a lighted end of a cigarette thereto to have a portion displaced thereby, a latch lever pivotally mounted on the underside of said bowl and pivctally coupled to said bi-rnetallic element portion to be displaced thereby, an operating leveralso pivotally mounted on the underside of said bowl and having one end normally latched to 'said latch lever and releasable therefrom upon movement of said latch lever, spring means normally urging said operating lever away from said latch lever, a figurine mounted on said bowl rim and having a fluid-conducting tube therewithin with an open end directed toward said trough, a receptacle for fire-extinguishing fluid coupled to the other end of said tube, and means responsive to movement of said operating lever upon release from said latch lever for ejecting within with one end directed toward said trough,

a receptacle for. fire-extinguishing fiuidcoupled to the other end or" said tube, and means respon sive to heating of said bi metallic element for ejecting fluid from said receptacle through said tubetoward said trough.

4. An animated ash tray comprising an ashreceiving bowl, a temperature-sensitive element positioned on said bowl, a fluid-conducting tube mounted on said bowl and having one end directed toward said element, a source of fluid coupled to said tube at the other end thereof. and. means responsive to heating of said temperature-sensitive element for causing said fluid to be ejected from said first end of said tube toward said element.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number 5 691,266 1,764,692 1,855,983 1,903,805 1,973,567 10 2,106,562

Name Date Hill Jan. 14, 1902 Rubenstein June 17, 1930 Morlok Apr. 26, 1932 Buckley Apr. 18, 1933 Joslin Sept. 11, 1934 Bucci Jan. 25, 1938 

